Swivel connection for electrical conductors



C. 0. ALLEN.

SWIVEL CONNECTION. FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS.

APPLICATIO Hman` APR. 9. 1919.

1,379,795. l Patented May 31,1921.

y mwa/nizw' @alf/e@ @lle/V- CHARLES O. ALLEN, OF SHAWNEE, OKLAHOMA.

SWIVEL CONNECTION FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May si, i921.

Application led pril 9, 1919. Serial No. 288,754.

To all wzom t may concer/n.'

ABe it known that I, CHARLES O. ALLEN, a

Vcitizen of the United States, residing at Shawnee, in the county of Pottawatomie and State of Oklahoma, have inventedI cer-v tain new and useful Improvements in Swivel Connections for Electrical Conductors, of

, which the followin is a specilication.

My invention re ates to improvements in swivel connections for electrical conductors, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed. i l

An object of my invention is to provide 4a swivel connection which will 'prevent the twistingcf electrical conductors, especially those used in connection with telephone sets.

2A farther object of my invention is to provide a swivel connection which may lbe readily applied to a telephone box, and which will positively prevent the cord which leads to the telephone set from becoming twisted.

A further object of my invention is to provide a deviceof the type described which is simple in construction has few parts, and which is therefore not liable to easily get out of order. 5

Other yobjects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the' accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a section through a telephone box, showing my improved swivel connection in position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device, the cover or cap bein removed;

F Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3--3 of i .2l Figi-1 is a plan view of the main body portion of the device, a part being shown in section, and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the auxiliary' contact bearing member. v v

Referring now particularly to Fig. 3, l

have shown therein a main body portion 1,

which may be made of wood, metal, hard rubber or any other suitable insulating material. This body portion is preferably of cylindrical. shape, and has a cylinudrical extension 2,' which is designed to enter and be retained in the openin 3, of the telephone box 4, see Fig. 1. he body-portion body portion, as

4they are arranged to engage contactsi, 6 and 7 while at the -the auxiliary contact-bearing member 8 is l has a central recess extending inwardly from the end opposite the extension 2, and 1s provided with a series of shoulders in stepped relation` bordering the recess and each having a conducting member thereon, such as a copper ring, these members being shown at 5, 6 and 7 respectively. Each ring has' an electrically conducting connection with a terminal on the outer surface of the shown at 5a, 6a and 7, respectively.

In Fig: A5 I have shown an auxiliary contact-bearing member 8, of cylindrical shape, .and having a series of shoulders corresponding to. the shoulders of the body portion, each shoulder being provided with a ringshaped contact arranged to engage the con-` tacts on the body portion. I prefer to make these contacts of spring wire, although it'is obvious that other formsA of contacts inightbe used without departing from the invention. ln Fig. 5, the oontacts'which are carried by the auxiliary contact-bearing member 8, are designated 5", 6* and 7", and

contacts 5, 6, and 7 when the parts are assembled. The body fgportion is provided.' wltli a central recess or' bore 9, arranged to receive the extension 10, of the contactbearing member 8. One Aend of each of thecontact members 5", 6x is free, the opposite end being passed through grooves, such as those shown at 11, and being secured toi the three strands of the cord or cable 12, which passes through a central bore in the member 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

From the foregoing description of the va-` rious parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. Ashas' been heretofore stated, the device illustrated is primarily designed to be used with telephone boxes. he wires 14 from the coils in the interior of the box, are connected with the terminals 5a, 6a and 7a in the manner shown. The auxiliary contact-bearing member 8 lits into the central recess of the-body portion 1, and the-contacts 5?, 6c and 7c engage the same time ermittedto rotate about its central axis. ow the 'telephone cord 12, where it passes through the member 8, has its axis coinci-v dent with the member 8. A cover 15 'is provided, and it may be held on frictionally or in any other suitable manner.

The construction `described above prevents the respective iio any twisting or lrig of the cord. The contacts 5X, 6X and 7x have just enou h spring in them to permit good contact to Le made in any position of the auxiliary contact-bearing member. have any tendency to twist, then the member 8 will rotate about its central axis, but it will kee the contacts in engagement electrically wh e so doing. The construction is such that the cord may be turned either way and the member 8'wil1 rotate in either direction. 'll-he cover 15, besides holding the auxiliary member 8 in position, to eect a good electrical connection, keeps the dust or dirt from interfering with the proper working of the device.

While ll have described this electrical connection as being primarily adapted for telephone boxes, it is obvious that it mi ht be used for other purposes such as e ectric irons or electric utensils of any kind, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

l claim: w

1. A swivel connection for electrical conductors comprising a body portion having a central recess and being 'provided with a lurality of shoulders in stepped relation ordering sfaid recess, a contact ring carried by each shoulder, an auxiliary contact-bearing member having a plurality of shoulders,

Lt the cord should Lerares a contact carried on each shoulder of said auxiliary contact-bearing member, saidauxiliary contact-bearing member being arranged to enter the recess of said body portion to bring its respective contacts into engagement with the rings of the body p0rtion, a cap for retaining said auxiliary contact-bearing member in its operative position, the contacts of said auxiliary contactbearing member being secured to the strands of an electrical conductor. n

2. ln a swivel connection for electrical conductors a body portion having a recess and being provided with a series of shouldersrin stepped relation bordering -said recess, a ring-shaped conductor mounted on each shoulder and having an electrical connection extending to the side of the body portion, an auxiliary contact-bearing member having contacts arranged to engage the contacts on the body portion, said auxiliary contact-bearing member having a central bore arranged to receive a cable and the strands of the cable' being connected to the respective contacts of the auxiliary contactbearing portion, and a cap for covering the recess in the body portion and for retaining the auxiliary contact-bearing member in its operative position. f

ln testimony whereof l ax my signature. y

, CHARLES U., ALLEN. 

